The Black Artists

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A documentary film with the title The Black Artists. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm acetate film with optical sound. The film opens with artist Samella Sanders Lewis walking on a beach as her own voiceover narration plays in the background. In subsequent scenes, three artists create pieces as they describe their creative process: Samella Lewis opines as she paints an abstract piece in oil; William Pajaud describes finding inspiration in church choirs; John Riddle designs a metal sculpture with a flame torch and other instruments, before describing the process of making finishing touches to his works. The film closes with Riddle stating that whenever he completes a work, it "serves as a steppingstone for the next idea."

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